FURY film review

Anyone who’s seen Harsh Times, End of Watch or U-571 knows there are certain films that stay with the viewer after being seen.  Fury (2014) is a film of the same caliber, and director David Ayer took no shortcuts in making what may be the best World War II movie since Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan.

The performances are convincing, the action gut-wrenching, and the down-time thought-provoking.  Brad Pitt gives an excellent performance as a jaded tank commander turned into a cold realist by three years of brutal combat.  Shia LaBeouf, Michael Peña, John Bernthal, and Logan Lerman provide solid supporting acting that brings out the best in every other performer’s character.

The scenes where bloody-handed tank crew members discuss God—and what His plans could be in such a hellish environment—seem hokey at first, but as the characters persist with the topic, the discussions force the viewer to ponder.  This movie forces the reader to view the fragility of life and death and to confront the ever-blurring line between right and wrong.  I also appreciate how the film shows there was still some humanity in Germany by the war's end [but no spoilers].

I won’t spoil anything, but people quickly find out that what seems like the right thing to do is wrong and gets people killed.  At other times they’ll find out that what seems like the wrong thing may be right.

The main battle in the movie involves the tanker crew defending a crossroads so the enemy can’t pass and slow the Allied advance. [This isn’t a spoiler; it’s in the movie trailer!]  In this case the enemy isn’t the Wehrmacht–German government army—but rather the SS—the Nazi Party’s fanatical private army.  The American tankers have seen the SS force children to fight (as cannon fodder) and what the SS does to civilians who refuse to support the war effort any longer.  They’re not letting this SS main force get away.

The main characters in this movie are at the tail end of the war in Europe, but the SS wasn’t ready to cry uncle.  The SS was still killing people, soldiers and civilian noncombatants alike.  Furthermore, the vast majority of SS troopers weren’t surrendering like their Wehrmacht counterparts who knew the game was over.  These were the most fanatical supporters of National Socialism, of white supremacy, genocide, and a global German empire.

Now the battle begins.

As libertarians, it’s important for us to reflect and take something away after a heavy book or movie like this one.  We can cling to libertarian talking points about non-intervention in foreign wars.  We can talk about how this war wasn’t our war, about how FDR was looking for a fight and in 1941 he got one.  We can say those things until we’re blue in the face, but we’re past that.  Far past that.  These individuals were there, and people were trying to kill them.  Full stop.

In my opinion, any libertarian in the situation depicted in the movie must first ask, What can I do to keep myself alive?  Next, What can I do to keep my friends alive?  Finally, What course of action will keep more people alive?  What will the SS deliberately do to civilians in the next town?

The hell with them.  Let the murderers of the SS continue to rot in hell with all the rest of the people who deliberately murder civilians.  Yes, according to libertarian non-intervention theory, the U.S. military shouldn’t have been there in the first place, but that factoid is too little, too late when one is facing off against a battalion of fanatics with machine guns and rocket launchers.

In today’s world, non-intervention is the best foreign policy.  There’s nothing we can do to change the past, but I’m still glad that the Germans lost that war.  It was horrible that the Soviets were among the winners in World War II, but the Soviet Union no longer exists.  I still have nothing but respect for all the men and women who beat back the Wehrmacht, destroyed the SS, and shut down Hitler’s totalitarian state, death camps and all.

In the meantime, we libertarians must maintain a self-defensive mindset, for ourselves as individuals, for our families, our communities, and our country.  Remember, just because we as individuals are non-interventionist DOES NOT mean that foreign armies are as well.

Go see Fury, it’s worth it.

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Fury movie poster is the property of Columbia Pictures and used according to Fair Use law.  Image obtained from Wikipedia.

Five Libertarian Ideas #27 - Austrian Economics for New Libertarians

Libertarian approach to economics

Many people are sympathetic to libertarian ideas but don't know economics very well. Here's a guide to approaching economic policy as a libertarian: Is something that belongs to you being taken away? Who's supposedly benefiting, and who else is actually getting richer (or poorer)? Economics is human action, meaning individual people doing what they think benefits them the most. –10/5

They voted for big government

Many folks on the left have been shocked and appalled at police conduct and police militarization as seen in Ferguson, Missouri. The problem is that the left (and even some on the right) support the idea of big government. More, bigger government means more government offices and employees, more laws and regulations, and more law enforcement. These people voted for big government and Ferguson got it. –10/5

Rich people: producers vs. looters

I hold no grudge towards wealthy capitalists if they're responsible for creating value by producing goods or services people want or need. I could spend thousands on the machines and raw materials for making toothbrushes. But unless I'm going into the toothbrush business, I'm a lot better off spending $1 on a toothbrush at the store and using my time and money on other projects. The toothbrush capitalist has made my life easier and he got rich fair and square. However, if a capitalist uses government connections to shut down a competitor's factory, or takes a government loan against businesses who didn't get that loan, that capitalist becomes a LOOTER. –10/6

A Hong Kong independence movement?

The Chinese Communist Party is back to its age-old tactics of using organized crime "pro-government" mobs to attack protestors in Hong Kong. I certainly hope the people of Hong Kong start a bona fide independence movement. Let Hong Kong become an independent state, same with Macau. The Chinese nation would be better off economically and morally, with more Chinese leaving Communist autocracy and becoming citizens of free states like Hong Kong and Taiwan. –10/13

Competing currencies in action

One of the things I like about crypto-currency like Bitcoin and Litecoin is that it's very hard to crack down on the use thereof. Three years ago a man in North Carolina was federally convicted of fraud. His crime was making the "Liberty Dollar," a private medium of exchange to which new members could buy in voluntarily. The real reason the feds wanted this man gone: the Liberty Dollar was backed by gold and much stronger than the U.S. Dollar. –10/14

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Socialism graphic courtesy of Secrets of the Fed blog.  Hong Kong Tent City photo by Calvin YC, obtained from Wikimedia Commons, and used via CC BY 2.0 license.

Art Alas and the war refugees

One of the things that sickened me most recently about the "Grand" Old Party was the way they spoke of the Central American child refugees, as if they were trash. Say what you want about adult immigrants who come here illegally, but the God I believe in will hold people accountable for the way they treated these children. Art Alas is a different kind of Republican.

Make no mistake, the Central American children are war refugees fleeing from a vicious criminal insurgency. The violence in Central America is an extension of the Mexican Drug War, which is actually a multi-sided civil war created in part by the Obama Administration's policies and constant meddling in foreign affairs.

The Mexican drug lords are warlords ruling over large territories. The cartels are paramilitary insurgent armies mixing guerrilla warfare with crime and terrorism. The main culprits of violence in Central America are the transnational gangs MS-13 and M-18, or 18th Street. MS-13 are auxiliaries working/fighting for the Sinaloa Cartel while M-18 work/fight for the Zetas Cartel. Theirs is the violence the immigrant children are escaping.

Art, being a man of integrity, acted with leadership and compassion.

Art said,"We need to put politics aside and do something to help these kids. We need to help them NOW." He organized a relief effort with Hearts for Humanity to gather vital supplies (food, toiletries, etc.) for these kids who are alone in a strange country, their fates completely out of their hands. Charity by choice!

It baffles me how members of Congress in both parties could be so eager to make war in the Middle East, yet they could so easily ignore child war refugees on our own doorstep. They may as well have turned their backs on Jesus in His final suffering.

Art believes that we need to secure our borders to keep criminals and terrorists out of our country. I agree with this. I also agree with Art that "Jesus said, Suffer [the] little children, and forbid them not to come unto me" and "Whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 19:14, 25:40).  Therefore, Art and his dedicated corps of volunteers put politics aside to do something for the children.

This is the kind of integrity virtually nonexistent on Capitol Hill. Art Alas is the kind of man I want representing me in Washington.

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Art Alas campaign photo courtesy of ElectAlas.com.

Criminal Insurgency: Gang Members as Warfighters, Libertarian Solutions

The war in Mexico between paramilitary drug-trafficking organizations and the government has shown the world how warfare is evolving.  With market-oriented technological advances, it’s possible for wealthy players to raise private armies.  It’s equally possible, and easy, for individuals to wage terrorist campaigns.

Jalisco New Generations Cartel declares war on the Knights Templar Cartel.

Nowadays, all it requires to be an insurgent is an AK-47, some explosives, and a laptop or tablet.  The words “terrorist” and “insurgent” are becoming synonymous as various “rebel” groups adopt both tactics at will.  Wars are being increasingly fought by non-state groups. Two examples are the separatist and nationalist militias in Ukraine, and the Kurdish guerrillas fighting ISIS in Syrian and Iraqi Kurdistan. Furthermore, the line between street gangs and organized crime syndicates is blurring.

The Mexican Drug War and other recent conflicts in show that gangs and highly organized criminal groups can also be rebel soldiers.

Take the Mexican cartels—commonly called drug gangs—once merely organized crime groups with street gang enforcers, now evolved into paramilitary organizations fighting the state and fighting rival paramilitary groups.  Their war has killed over 140,000 people in a decade.  This is called criminal insurgency.

Gang violence and organized crime activities have skyrocketed across Latin America, especially in Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador.  The main combatants in the Central American gang wars are Mara Salvatrucha [MS-13] and Barrio 18 [18^th Street or M-18].  Both transnational gangs serve as auxiliaries for opposing Mexican cartels. Their hired services include distribution, shipping, and armed enforcement operations.  Street gangs all over Mexico also work for one or another paramilitary drug-trafficking organization.

The ongoing civil war in Mexico—including its spillover across Latin America—is not the first instance of gangs and organized criminal groups fighting in modern wars.  Take the following examples:

• In Mexico, 1910, Pancho Villa turned his bandit gang into a guerrilla army.
• In China, bandit and warlord armies were absorbed into the Peoples Liberation Army in their fight against the Nanjing government.
• The Vietnamese organized crime network Bin Xuyen openly fought the Saigon government and was absorbed into the Viet Cong.
• Bandits and pirates joined demobilized anti-communist armies who formed paramilitary drug-trafficking organizations in Asia’s Golden Triangle.
• Neighborhood gangs in Lebanon became overnight militias engaged in sectarian fighting.
• In Colombia, the drug cartels partnered with the communist guerrillas to traffic drugs and fight the government.
• The Iraqi insurgency in Fallujah included organized crime groups.
• Today, the Taliban is financed in part by Afghan drug lords.

MS-13 foot soldier with a machine pistol

The United States has its own gang problem. Hundreds of thousands of people are members of local, regional, and national gangs.  According to Bunker and Sullivan, third-generation gangs (founded two generations ago) have the membership and logistical capability to resist the state.  Rather than battle over petty turf like first-generation local gangs, third-generation gangs have built up international trading networks, corporate-like hierarchies, and armed foot soldiers adequate for sustainable criminal insurgency.

Given the growing numbers, logistical capabilities, and sophistication of transnational gangs and local affiliates in the United States, alongside the growing numbers and militarization of America’s law enforcement agencies, it’s not unreasonable to suppose that a low-level armed conflict might arise between gangs and law enforcement agencies.  If a low-level armed conflict ensues, there is always the possibility of escalation.

There are libertarian solutions to alleviate a credible threat to national security like the one described above.

First, the Second Amendment must be respected by all levels of government in the United States.

Statistics have repeatedly shown areas with less restricted gun laws average less violent crime than areas under strict gun control.  The police can’t be everywhere, nor would free people want them everywhere, so the only solution for self-defense against gang violence is the right for citizens to bear arms.

Take Chicago, for example.  The city with some of the strictest gun control laws in the country is also the city with the highest murder rate in the country.  The majority of the 2014 Chicago murders were gang shootings.  Too many of those killed were bystanders, not participants in the violence.  The people of Chicago deserve to protect their persons, families, and communities.

Second, America’s prison system must shrink.

Prisons are illicit trading centers and recruiting centers for gangs at all levels.  As of 2008, 90.7% of federal prisoners were incarcerated for non-violent offenses.  As of 2011, 50% of federal prisoners were in for drug-related convictions.  Such a high level of non-violent offenders would prompt expanded parole, with a work-reparations plan if necessary.  Otherwise, non-violent offenders become “criminalized” by the violent prison culture.

Third, drug crimes constitute nearly half of federal inmates, the majority of them nonviolent; this points to one solution: end the federal war on drugs.

Better yet, legalize the victimless “crimes” for which nonviolent offenders are incarcerated.  Drugs, gambling, and prostitution are booming industries, and their illegality guarantees their domination by organized crime.  Rather than enabling racketeering for criminals, why not turn these industries over to law-abiding entrepreneurs?  Especially when their success must come from quality products and customer service, not coercion or monopoly through violence.

Homeland Security agents disembark from a MRAP vehicle

Fourth, law enforcement agencies must be demilitarized. There is no reason compatible with liberty for the Department of Agriculture to have submachine guns, nor is there any reason for local police departments to have armored personnel carriers.  If the public is faced with a military-grade threat, the states have National Guards who can respond appropriately .

Demilitarization of law enforcement reduces the chances of confrontation between law enforcement and criminal networks. Through legalizing drugs and other outlawed vices, major income sources leave the criminal underground for the free market.  By shrinking the prison system, gangs have far fewer recruit for their networks as non-violent offenders are paroled.

Criminal insurgency is a credible future threat to America's national security.  Through abiding by free market principles nationwide, and strict self-defense in times of emergency, this threat can be avoided and neutralized peacefully.

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JNGC image taken from a YouTube screenshot from Wikimedia Commons via Fair Use.  MS-13 photo courtesy of the "Shooting From the Lip" Wordpress blog. Homeland Security paramilitary agents photo by DHS, obtained from "Stripers Online" forum, and in the public domain.

Arturo Alas for Congress

Let me start by saying that I hate political commercials and I hope you do too. This isn't a commercial; it's information you need to know.

After the painful 2012 election cycle I'm largely inactive in electoral politics. I'm making an exception for Arturo Alas (Art, as I know him).

I got in trouble a lot on the campaign trail for my brutal honesty. After a few minutes of speaking with someone, I can tell if they're full of it or not (and I often let them know). I've met and spoken with Art multiple times and he's genuine.

One of the reasons I detest most politicians is twofold. First, too many of them skip the real world. They go from university to a political internship to running for office (and usually paid for by special interests). Second, these professional bureaucrats are so arrogant to tell us that THEY know how to create jobs.

Art, on the other hand, is the son of immigrants and a self-made businessman. He knows firsthand how jobs are (and aren't) created.

"As long as taxes are high and regulations are literally written by corporate lobbyists, small businesses will never be able to grow and employ more people." Art also says, "As long as government is creating jobs when private business can't, taxes will continue to go up and lobbyists will write more regulations."

Art Alas is right on the money with his pro-free market, pro-liberty, and international-non-interventionist ideas.  Art represents a libertarian-leaning platform that, when applied, will be an excellent starting point for scaling back big government and government-made oppression.  These are practical avenues for political solutions.

Better yet, I believe in Art and what he stands for. I left the Republican Party months ago but I've always placed principles over personality. I share Art's principles and so I'll support this Republican because I believe he represents me during a time when most "leaders" don't deserve to represent you and I.

I'm Zach Foster, and I'm backing Art Alas for Congress in 2014.